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April and Wild Foraging
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http://thegreatmorel.com/
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If
April is the cruelest month, it is perhaps because just as
a fickle woman opens your heart one minute and the next
minute acts aloof and distant, so April can be a time of
extremes from cold to warm weather, of sudden snow storms,
and then hot, brilliant sun. Many a gardener has been
fooled by April's warm days and planted petunias only to
watch the snow and cold destroy them. As it is a safer
bet, I have always planted pansies in April. Their jaunty
blossoms seem to defy the cold. Occasionally little white
spots will appear on the leaves which were touched by
frost, yet rarely enough to kill the entire plant.
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Despite
the extremes of cold and warm, in April the earth awakens
and the roots stir again to bring green grass and blossoms
on the trees. It is one of the blessings of New England to
witness this regeneration each year. Each year also it is
a time to hunt for morel mushrooms. Even though this is
one of the easiest mushrooms to identify, I know mushroom
hunting can be dangerous. Still every year I look for
these tempting morsels under blooming old apple trees -
which happens to be one of their favorite growing spots.
This is the only time to safely look for them - when apple
blossoms are on the trees. With their convoluted and
dimpled surface these mushrooms look like sponges on a
stem. One important key is easily checked when one slices
the mushroom in half lengthwise. Only a morel will have a
hollow interior with the stem and cap one piece not a
separate cape and stem. They can vary in color from yellow
to almost black depending upon the soil and variety of
morel. While these are some of the easiest mushrooms to
identify and if you are fortunate enough to find some
morels be cautious about eating them. Never eat them with
alcohol, never raw or in large amounts. These mushrooms
are so enticing that every spring many people all over the
country go looking for them. There are even morel mushroom
hunting clubs. Sautéed in butter and served with good
French bread, they are delicious. A good mushroom
identification book and there are many, will help in
identifying morels. Also, there are a number of
mycological societies. This one is in Massachusetts:
Boston
Mycological Club
6 Oak Ridge Drive #4
Maynard, MA 01754 - 2470
www.bostonmycologicalclub.org
email: griner@bellatlantic.com
The
mycological club will assist you or refer you to a local
member who can help in identification. Of course you can
buy these mushrooms, dried or fresh for a significant
price per pound. Whichever way you get them they are a
delight to eat.
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Another
Spring ritual for many is the hunt for fiddleheads.
Of course, you can buy them and for many that is the
way they get them. For me, though, I enjoy the hunt
and event if I pick only a few there is a certain
sense of triumph in finding and collecting these
spring delicacies. Steamed for 15 minutes and
sprinkled with a good vinaigrette they seem to taste
better than any purchased in a store. A fiddlehead
is the uncurled front of a fern. As not all are
edible and some are poisonous a good identification
book will provide the keys to finding the correct
fiddlehead. I keep an eye out for one kind only -
the Ostrich Fern fiddleheads. Even when once becomes
proficient in selecting the correct fern, care
should be taken to pick only Ostrich fiddleheads and
not accidentally include a leaf of another plant.
Some plants such as Poison hemlock look innocent
enough - much like parsley yet a piece the size of a
pea can kill and adult and there is no antidote. And
if you are leery of hunting them yourself they are
available in most grocery stores this time of years.
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Ostrich Fern
http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/ferns/matteuccia.html
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The
last wild edible is nothing I spend a lot of time
looking for but if I happen by the Japanese Knotwood
plant at the right time of years I will pick a bunch
and throw them in a salad. This plant was brought
from the Orient as a food source is now an invasive
plant growing along many of our roadsides. In its
full grown state it is a coarse plant with hollow
stems that resemble bamboo. While some will pick
this plant in a half grown state and eat it like
asparagus or make a rhubarb-like jam of this sour
plant, I only pick the little shoots as they first
emerge from the ground. They are a tender and
somewhat tangy and add a crunchy addition to a
salad.
If
wild foraging sounds interesting to you, there is a
renowned author of a book and articles on this
subject living here in Massachusetts. Russ Cohen
recently wrote and published "Wild Plants I
have Known and Eaten" as well as articles for
Yankee Magazine and Massachusetts Wildlife Magazine.
He also offers wild edible plant walks and courses
throughout the summer. Some talks are given as close
as Westborough, Boylston and Marlborough. He can be
reached at eatwild@ren.com
for more information about his courses and talks.
Learning about foraging can be a nice addition to
the knowledge of any amateur naturalist.
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